The anterior neck is divided into a horizontal submental (beneath the chin) plane and a vertical cervical (cervical spine) plane by boundary tethers at the level of the hyoid bone.  The hyoid floats in the concave hollow of the anterior neck stabilized by ligamentous attachments to the skull and muscular fascial tethers to the skin. Our anterior neck crease is formed by skin attachments to the diverging muscle groups above and below the level of the hyoid. These anchoring tethers maintain some degree of geometric concavity even with neck extension. From the midline at the hyoid, this neck crease ascends on a slant toward the bottom of the ear or mastoid bone (pointed skull bone behind the ear).

Tethers between the skin and the underlying muscles, bones and joints facilitate lateral neck rotation, which is critical to viewing the world in an upright stance. Strong, anchoring tethers at the clavicle mark the inferior border of the supraclavicular hollow. This concavity is a very important reservoir of skin laxity which can be used during neck extension and rotation. The lateral neck skin superiorly is anchored to the mastoid. Every crease, hollow and angle serves the dual masters of function and form.